Message From the Administrator
Welcome to the summer issue of Together We Can, the newsletter of
the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania
Hospital. The feedback from patients, families and staff about our
new newsletter format has been very positive.
We are pleased to provide
more in-depth information on topics of interest,
such as nutrition, as well as more photographs and reports about recent
programs and events. We hope this will inspire you to participate
in one of the many opportunities for support, education and screening
that are offered by the Joan Karnell Cancer Center.
An important part of supportive care programming at the Joan Karnell
Cancer Center is psychological counseling. We have recently expanded
our psychological counseling services to include bereavement counseling.
This program is under the direction of Edna Foa, MD, Professor and
Director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Foa and her associates provide direct care to patients and families,
focusing on end of life and bereavement issues,
on an individual basis. They are also assisting in development of
support for children and adolescents who are facing an illness in
their family. Dr. Foa and her group provide supportive services to
the staff at the Cancer Center as well, improving the quality of care.
These services are available at no cost to patients and families.
On a recent Saturday, a group of families and staff members gathered
for “Planting Seeds for Growth,” a program designed for
children ages 6 to 12 whose parents are facing
a diagnosis of cancer. The day included a tour of the Cancer Center,
so that children could better understand what happens when parents
are here; time for parents to gather and learn about how to talk with
their kids about cancer; time for children to gather and support each
other through stories and art; and family time to create a healthy
lunch and plant seeds to symbolize growing together as a family in
coping with cancer.
The program was well received by parents and children.
We hope to provide more opportunities such as
this, recognizing that cancer is a disease that affects not only the
patient but the entire family.
Sincerely,
Mary Pat Lynch, CRNP, MSN, AOCN
Administrator, Joan Karnell Cancer Center
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